THE HUNTING MONTH
Chief Koostatah of the Kootenai OCTOBER 6, 1987
Hearing set for Oct. 8 in Ronan
Tribes and state reach one-year agreement on bird hunting rules
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife andParks announced Sept. 29 that they have tentatively agreed on the conduct of the 1987-1988 bird hunting season for the Flathead Reservation, which began Oct 3.
Under the tentative agreement, the department would adopt the Tribes' bird hunting regulations for this season. Enforcement would be left to the
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department's personnel on non-Indian lands, where only state licenses would be required. Tribal enforcement will be in effect on Indian-owned lands, where only Tribal licenses would be required.
Mickey Pablo, Tribal Council Chairman, and Jim Flynn, the department's director, emphasized that the agreement covers only the 1987-1988 bird hunting season. Pablo stated, "We are still attempting to resolve issues for the long term through discussions." One provision of the agreement commits the Tribes and the department to a stepped-up schedule for negotiations.
Flynn and Pablo concurred that the agreement will help hunters, since regulations will be uniform throughout the Reservation. The agreement also addresses the concerns of some non-Tribal hunters and landowners who object to Tribal enforcement on non-Indian lands.
According to Flynn, the department will conduct a public hearing this week.
"When the governor met last week in Ronan with interested members of the public, he made a commitment to public meetings," Flynn said. "We will honor that commitment with a public hearing on October 8 in the Ronan Community Center," beginning at 7 p.m.
The State's Fish and Game Commission will also have to approve the proposed agreement.
The major differences between Tribal and state regulation involve the use of steel shot, the length of the pheasant hunting season, the hunting of doves and snipes, and falconry.
Under the agreement, steel shot will be used excusively throughout the Reservation for birds and waterfowl. State regulations currently allow lead shot for upland bird hunting.
The pheasant season would end one week earlier than under the state regulations.
(Concludes on page two)
Primary election details announced
The date and deadlines for this year's primary Tribal election process are as follows. Complete details are given in the public notice on page three.
Deadline to file for primary election: Oct. 16,1987 — 4:30 p.m.
Election: Saturday, Nov. 7, 1987, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The top two vote-getters in each district (four in Arlee) will participate in the general election in December for terms to begin Jan. 1,1988.